The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone. While some teams certainly got better after the deadline, other teams made questionable decisions. So, what were the worst trade deadline deals?
The NFL trade deadline is one of the most exciting times of the year on the sports calendar, especially these days, considering trade deadline deals occur with more frequency than ever before. The 2024 NFL trade deadline was no different, as there were a bunch of high-profile trades made on the last day to do business. Likewise, a number of stars were traded in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
Trade deadline deals can make or break a franchise. Of course, teams make deadline deals to try and add the missing pieces that can help the team in either the short or long term. However, not all trades are hits. Sometimes you simply have to question what a general manager was thinking when he pulled the trigger on a trade, and in this article, we are going to look at the two worst trades from the 2024 NFL trade deadline that made us feel that way.
Pittsburgh Steelers overpay for a receiver
Pittsburgh Steelers acquire: Mike Williams
New York Jets acquire: 2025 fifth-round pick
As stated above, a lot of receivers were moved at the deadline. That means there were a lot of trades to compare, and one that didn't hit the mark was the Pittsburgh Steelers trade for Mike Williams. Williams became available after the New York Jets traded for Davante Adams.
It was assumed he would be cheap, considering his injury history, lack of success this season, and the fact that it was clear that the Jets were going to trade him. Rather than being sold for a sixth or seventh-round pick, though, the Jets were able to squeeze a fifth-rounder out of the Steelers, which seems like an overpay.
The Steelers have been rumored as trade candidates for a receiver for a while now, but they've passed on every talented one who was on the market. Not only does this include other recently traded receivers, but it extends to the offseason when Brandon Aiyuk was on the trade block. The Steelers opted against trading for one of these receivers and instead opted for Williams.
Injuries have sapped Williams of his athleticism, and he will likely never be the player he was in Los Angeles with the Chargers again. Additionally, you have to expect another injury will happen, considering Williams has been injury-prone throughout his career. To add insult to injury, the Steelers added the wrong archetype at the receiver position. They already have a big-bodied pass-catcher in George Pickens, and the team needed to add more speed and route running prowess in the passing game. That isn't Williams' style.
Dallas Cowboys give up a premier asset for a failed receiver
Dallas Cowboys acquire: Jonathan Mingo, 2025 seventh-round pick
Carolina Panthers acquire: 2025 fourth-round pick
The Dallas Cowboys have been a mess all season, and that extended all the way to the NFL trade deadline. They got off to a slow start after waiting way too long to extend the contracts for CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, but they've been even worse as of recent. Now the team is 3-5 despite being viewed as championship contenders coming into the season. To make matters worse, Prescott will be sidelined with a hamstring injury for the coming weeks.
Lamb is one of the best receivers in the NFL, but the team hasn't had a reliable second option in the passing game this season. The Cowboys should have been in luck because star receivers were being traded left and right this year. Davante Adams, Mike Williams (more on him later), DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, and Diontae Johnson were all traded in the last handful of weeks, the latter two of which were huge steals.
There were receivers to be had, and the Cowboys did go out and get one, but they added the wrong pass catcher. The team traded for Jonathan Mingo. The ex-Carolina Panther has been a massive bust up to this point, and it is hard to envision him developing into a high-quality player, even given a new situation.
To make matters worse, the Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick. That is more than some of the aforementioned receivers were traded for, and Mingo is nowhere near their level on the football field. The Ole Miss product was a second-round pick, and the Cowboys hope he can develop into something special. Mingo just hasn't shown much on the field yet, so he is unlikely to help the team much this year. In the long term, the Cowboys may have just been better off keeping their draft pick.
